It’s the most wonderful time of the year to buy or sell a home. Yes, you read that right. While the winter months are traditionally the slow season for real estate, there are many benefits for both buyers and sellers to purchasing a new home over the holiday season. Don’t believe us? Read on to learn how both sides can make a holiday sale possible!
Selling Your Home
For sellers, there are a few key steps you can take to ensure your listing doesn’t sit idle throughout the holiday season. These four simple measures can help you connect with the right buyer and get your listing sold before the new year.
Deck the halls...within reason.
Just because your house is for sale doesn’t mean you need to forgo all holiday cheer. Set up a tree, hang a festive wreath, just don’t go overboard. Decorations can add more appeal and make buyers feel at home, but too many large ornaments will clutter and shrink the spaces. Balance adding a dash of holiday cheer with keeping your rooms open and minimal to allow buyers to see the maximum potential.
Buyers are motivated, so price to sell!
If someone is house hunting over the holiday season they are definitely a motivated buyer. That means they want to find their dream home quickly and get an offer in as soon as possible. Keep this in mind. Buyers shopping at this time of year usually hope to benefit from lower prices and less competition. Take advantage of this motivation and excitement by pricing accordingly.
Focus extra attention on curb appeal.
After the colorful leaves of autumn are gone, curb appeal can be hard to master. The colder months don’t allow you to use traditional curb appeal elements like a well maintained yard or lush plants and greenery. So get creative! Bring in some holiday decorations outdoors to give the house a cheery glow from the street. Make sure to clear the driveway and walkways of any snow and rake away the piles of dead leaves and plants. Paying attention to these details can have a major impact when buyers come to view your property, or simply spot the "for sale" sign.
Buying Your Home
For buyers, there are numerous advantages to searching for a new home during the slow season. The holidays are a busy and hectic time, but the benefits can certainly outweigh the downsides.
Less Competition
Most people don’t even consider house hunting in the winter. This means you have substantially less competition. If you find the house of your dreams there’s far less risk of another buyer swooping in during the holiday season.
Motivated Sellers
While there are generally fewer houses on the market in the winter, the homes that are for sale aren’t going to sell as quickly. Less competition for you means fewerpotential buyers for the seller. This can lead to lower prices. December historically sees lower home prices than the rest of the year since sellers are often looking to move quickly.
Quicker Closing
Generally speaking, all parties involved in a sale over the holidays want to get the transaction settled before the end of the year. There are benefits to this for all parties:
Both the buyers and sellers want to settle in their new homes as soon as possible to enjoy the holidays
Lenders want to get the loan on the books for the current year
Agents want to get their commission on the current year's income
As long as you have your paperwork in order going into the process, there’s a better chance of a quick, smooth transaction during the holiday season.
Both
For both parties, the key to pulling off a holiday sale is working with a dedicated professional. You need to know that your agent won’t drop off for weeks on end during the holidays. You can also benefit from winter being a slower season. Agents have fewer clients during the winter, which means they can dedicate even more time to getting you into your dream home... which is where we come in!
Working with a Harvest Real Estate Services agent means the buying process will be the highlight of your holiday season (sorry Santa, we've got this one covered!) Get in touch with us today and we'll match you with the perfect agent to give you the gift of a great home buying experience!